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Hunting Wild Game

  • Game Notes for tonight.

    • Frank Bouillon will be in the lineup, but as a forward.

      • This makes sense to test his knee first. In the event he can’t go, the Habs don’t go down a defenseman and get forced to give more ice time to someone else.

    • Tomas Plekanec is getting a second chance to play with Kovalev and Samsonov.

      • Same story with Kovalev. He’s doing ‘okay’ but okay is just not good enough. With so much raw natural talent the expectations on him are always sky high. He needs to be producing more and they are running out of places to put him.

      Same thing for Plekanec, there is a very talented hockey player buried under that ever present blue Habs turtleneck he sports. Time to break out.

    Should be a very fast paced game.

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20 Comments
  1. #1 ROFL1967 says:
    November 22, 2006 at 3:38 pm

    Such a shame i’m gunna miss it :(

    So glad to see the B-Man back. How is Higgins getting on? back in time for Christmas? And i assume Huet between the pipes?

    BTW if your interested, the Ashes between England and Austrailia starts tonight. Thats Cricket for the uneducated :)

  2. #2 snake says:
    November 22, 2006 at 4:12 pm

    GO Habs, I was starting to get withdrawal.

  3. #3 aurel1 says:
    November 22, 2006 at 5:08 pm

    Don’t get me wrong,I love watching Kovalev play with the puck. He is one of the best stickhandlers I have ever seen. However, it never seem to amount to anything. If you look at his lifelong stats his best years were when he was playing with Lmieux in Pittsburgh. Since then his stats are average. I don’t beleive he will ever again score 30 goals or become the teamleader that we are all expecting him to be. H isn’t getting any younger. I like the chemistry on this team,however, the major problem has been the second line. Perhaps he should be trade bait. Comments.

  4. #4 HoTiCE_ says:
    November 22, 2006 at 5:32 pm

    Kovalev mentionned last season that during an 82 game season, it was normal for players not to be able to give their 100% every game. He just said out loud what every player thinks. Is it right? Probably not with their salary but at the end of the day, they are still human beings

  5. #5 Habs#1 says:
    November 22, 2006 at 6:28 pm

    Yah, but Kovy dosen’t give 100% in 72 out of the 82 games they play. The Wild are on a slide and the Habs need to take advantage. Fernandez has gone cold and Gaborik is out. If the Habs start fast and find their legs early, they should be fine, if they don’t they could be in some trouble.

  6. #6 riser8 says:
    November 22, 2006 at 6:58 pm

    Hab’ should win tonight….maybe 4-2 as the Wild have some key personnel out. Hopefully Plekanecs will have better luck on his second time around with Sammy and Kovalev. By the way ROFL 1967…I do understand cricket as I had the privalege of living six year’s in Australia back in the late 70′s and early 80′s. In fact I was in Melbourne when the centenary match for the ashes was played and Australia won….”Carn the Aussies”.

  7. #7 snake says:
    November 22, 2006 at 7:06 pm

    Remember at the beginning of the season we all thought Pleks was the reason for the lack of production on that line. NOw he sounds like a great fit between the two russians. The funny thing is Kosty actually looked pretty good but it amounted to 0 points on his part. Maybe that line is jinxed?

  8. #8 Jack Tornton says:
    November 22, 2006 at 7:47 pm

    true….Snake:

    I TOTALLY agree with you. You are the only person here that said Koststyn played well and it is absolutely true. If a player does not score it does not mean he is not a greta player. Kostistyn played like a well-developed player.

  9. #9 Thunder63 says:
    November 22, 2006 at 8:52 pm

    has anyone heard how long Gaborik is out for sounds like e is not even skating with the team yet

  10. #10 Habs#1 says:
    November 22, 2006 at 8:55 pm

    Gaborik may be out till late December, early January. His groin injury is a recurring one and they’ve said they’re not going to rush it.

  11. #11 zzam says:
    November 22, 2006 at 11:09 pm

    WuuuuJuuuuuu.. WE WON!!
    Anybody like Kung-fu fighting?! ….
    WOO JOO WOO WOOO JOOO
    time to get drunk!!!

  12. #12 Thunder63 says:
    November 22, 2006 at 11:11 pm

    thanks habs#1,
    hey riser8 anymore predictions for the next game lol

  13. #13 fanatic1 says:
    November 22, 2006 at 11:28 pm

    Even tho we won the game,why do we have to make it so difficult for ourselves? We were up 2-0, after the first period, and then the habs decided to stop playing first the entire 2nd period. So the end result, is that the wild tied the score. why can’t the habs play 60 MINUTES OF HOCKEY? they never do!Are they trying to imitate Kovalev? It’s always a nail biter as a result.The habs don’t seem to have that KILLER INSTINCT!They just aren’t able to put teams away. That’s why all their games are so close. It would be nice for a change to win a game by 3 or 4 goals, instead of waiting until the final minute to know the end result. I think they were lucky tonight,but if they play this way on Friday, in Buffalo-DEFEAT!

  14. #14 Jack Tornton says:
    November 22, 2006 at 11:53 pm

    Fanatic1:

    What do you mean by the habs should dominating over all 3 periods? If today we dominated over 2 periods, then Minnesota only dominated over 1!
    End result: Habs= +1—-Minnesota= -1
    Sounds better now?????

  15. #15 fanatic1 says:
    November 23, 2006 at 12:22 am

    no! we need to play for 60 minutes, and not take off for 1 period. listen to Radek Bonk’s comments, following the game. He reitterated exactly what I said. We almost lost the game because the habs decided not to play the entire 2nd period. If we play this way against better offensive teams, we’re going to lose.

  16. #16 stevejur says:
    November 23, 2006 at 1:18 am

    Great job by Plekanec tonight, him and Higgins are my favorite Habs much better game.
    He didn’t give a **** about Kovalev or Samsonov he just played his game.
    If he keeps shooting like that they’ll start going in.

    What can I say Bonk, Bonk Bonk you’ve become one hell of an asset.
    Gotta be the best 3rd line in hockey.

  17. #17 HaBs4EveR says:
    November 23, 2006 at 1:45 am

    Hey Kovalev played well tonight. Got a goal and an assist right? Maybe he’s starting to get back in shape!

    Go Habs Go

  18. #18 Sam says:
    November 23, 2006 at 7:17 am

    Great result…I didn’t get to watch the game but by the sounds of things, there are still things to improve. The unfortunate part is that intensity and effort are controlled by the players. They earn their paycheck and the fans support when they do both. The win is usually a bonus (but not a guarantee). Afterall, we had St. Patrick steal games so their is that possibility that someone (and there have been many over the years that seem to want to excel vs the Habs and shine (Brodeur and almost any rookie goalie)). The difference being that we gave it our all and lost versus not showing up or playing shinny or going out for a skate. When they pay the price and lose then it’s alright as we know the odds are better for us to win…and in the playoffs that’s what’s needed to move to the next round (good goaltending and a little luck too). Buffalo beat Toronto and we get them next. Coaches have to prepare them to skate and hit (& not take foolish penalties) rather force them to do exactly that and then the Habs have to score on the PP. Hope for the energetic team to show up….

    By the way, does anyone have a comment on the play of Bouillon as a forward.

    Go Habs Go!

  19. #19 joshtm says:
    November 23, 2006 at 11:48 am

    Wouldn’t it be neat to have Koivu’s brother on the team?

  20. #20 snake says:
    November 23, 2006 at 3:06 pm

    TO SAM:

    Your message was sooooo long and dull I could not finish it. Please dont write so much garbage. That was a bunch of mumble and none of us should have to read that. What was all that about St. Patrick. Its been 11 years since he was gone. fORGET ABOUT HIM, HE IS RETITED.

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  • muller93 : Boullion is one of MBs great additions--Boull ion is a definite Keeper.
  • muller93 : Getting rid of Kaberle frees up a lot of cash. Boullion is small but is reliable and doesn't back down from anyone.
  • muller93 : Exactly Goalie any thoughts on a punishing D-man?
  • goalie : They;re showing determination adn skill vs Ducks and Blackhawks.
  • goalie : REd Wings could turn out to be the surprise team of this year's playoffs!
  • goalie : WE need to rid our team of Kaberle and Webber. Step two would be to then move Diaz. If we get that big d-man I believe that would push Boullion to # 7 on the chart. We'd then go with Georges, PK,Markov (to continue mentoring Ememlin) Tinordi as our starting six . THEN I'd be excited about our chances. We could then work on getting bigger forwards.
  • goalie : I too would gladly give up a 3rd round pick for Ott- the type of player we sadly lack. AND if we could get one more rugged, expeienced defenceman it would help immensely.
  • muller93 : Senet what you are saying makes sense but if we can get Ott for a 3rd round I'll take that all day.
  • muller93 : MB should be looking at a big D-man first, even though I like our blue line with the addition of Tinordi. We need that insurance just in case one gets injured. Also I'm a firm believer in starting with the goalie first then-defense-for wards-and we already have good goalie. We have all noticed when we have the lead Price is tough to beat.
  • Senet1 : So sometimes you have to sacrifice for one year or two to build that team in the draft. then add the finishing touches through FA and trades.
  • Senet1 : Muller, Detroit is another good example. They have been in the hunt every year with good well balanced teams yet only one or two cups to show for it. However, they have built a team that has a chance every years for the last 10+ years. That is what I think we have a chance to do this year with a good draft. It reminds me of the habs teams of the mid 80 and 90's we built a team then with sold draft picks and won the cup twice during that time period. So sometimes you have to sacrifice a one
  • muller93 : Very true Senet, you do need luck and we haven't had any luck it seems since the habs moved to the Bell Center. We had an incredible run in 2010 with some crazy goal tending from Halak. With Galchenyuk-Tinor di-Gallagher all in 1 year--not too bad, even with an early exit in the playoffs.
  • Senet1 : Muller I guess we all have our own ideas, but there has never been too many times that were successful when they traded their draft picks away. We have a chance to build this team so we have a shot at winning the cup over the next 10 years. Even as good as Pittsburgh has been they have only won the cup once since Crosby and Malkin have been with the team. That is because you not only need great players but you need luck to win, but one thing about Pittsburgh they have a chance every year. The
  • muller93 : Good point on Torres, he might be a liability. Torres has to tone it down a bit, but that's his game-very aggressive.
  • goalie : Though I don't condone what Raffi Torres did - thos shows you how repeat offenders or near offenders are going to be treated. His hit was NOT illegal BUT what the rap sheet adn reputation Torres has he got severly punished. Lesson to be learned by OTHER players because Torres dopesn't learn fromk his mistakes.
  • muller93 : Senet normally I would agree with you on not trading draft picks but we are not in a rebuilding stage. Sometimes draft picks can be a roll of the dice and it can take up to 3 years to be NHL ready. We have a good team and I agree with Stuo players like Clowe-Torres-Ott -Scott will make a big difference. Somebody has to protect Gallagher, he can't keep getting hit the way does--we need a tough forward so they think twice before going after Gallagher.
  • Senet1 : Really a heathly Habs team would probably win more games against the Pens that we did against the Sens. Reason they Pens would not play as physical against us as against the Sens. If we get good goaltending we win at least two games.
  • zpezada4ok : hello all «link»
  • stuo11 : hes a tougher big guy too! Just a minor adjustment but will help a bit
  • stuo11 : hes better than markov, and hes french who was in mention for defenceman of the year
  • goalie : Markov for Beauchemin - an injury prone d-man for an ;old timer'd-man. Beauchemin is NOT what the Habs need in my opinion. He is a HUGE defensive liability.
  • goalie : Stuo 11 I'd make that trade with Oilers fast BUT I doubt the Oilers will make that. Two marginal d-men at the best for a switch of first round picks - not a chance .
  • stuo11 : markov for beachemin?
  • stuo11 : let moen go
  • stuo11 : maybe try and get steve begin back
  • stuo11 : we wouldve kicked out all other teams but pens, sens,
  • stuo11 : pens have alot of forwaRDS same with us but we have better goaltending
  • stuo11 : theres styles of play goalie. Sens played us good, but lost games to southeast teams florida and tampa and get crushed by leafs EVERYTIME. sens and leafsd cant beat bruins but we do frequently
  • stuo11 : Diaz weber and our 1st for their first edm
  • goalie : SEns beat us 4 games to 1. Pens had last night's game under their control. What does that mean if we were up vs the Pens in a series. I think the Habs have a way to go before we're competing for Lord Stanley's Cup!
  • Senet1 : If he could score goals like Lucic and we could sign him to a four year contract then I would consider it too. However, NOT if we only have him for one to two years.
  • Senet1 : So we went from 27th pick to 21st pick.
  • goalie : Normally I would not trade draft picks BUT if we could get a consistently, solid player (especially forward) who is BIG I'd trade one of our picks.
  • Senet1 : The good part of this is with both Detroit and Boston moving on to the 2nd round it makes our draft position better, we move up the list by two.
  • Senet1 : Bruins beat leafs in OT. It was hard but I was hoping the Leafs beat the Bruins. They had a4-1 lead in the third and two goal lead with less than 4 minutes and lost. Sound familiar.

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